Cluj-Napoca - Budapest Twice Daily, With Malév

The direct flights of the Hungarian national airline are certain to have a considerable impact on the further dynamic development of bilateral commercial and cultural ties.

Whereas within the Malév summer timetable it is possible to fly once a day from Tirgu Mures to Budapest and then onwards to cities across Europe, the airline is immediately launching a double daily flight from Cluj-Napoca. The afternoon Cluj-Napoca flight and the one in the evening are closely integrated with the airline's West European schedule. 

Thus, for instance, the early departure from Romania means that it is possible to fly on to Western Europe - via Budapest - in the morning and still save a valuable day by returning to Hungary on an evening flight and then taking the late evening/night flight to Cluj-Napoca. 

Due to the carefully timed scheduling, travel times between the Romanian town plus its catchment area and Budapest as well as most major cities throughout Europe are considerably reduced, thereby promoting the further tourism, economic and cultural development of Transylvania. Malév reckons on attracting primarily business and transit passengers on the route, although the company also sees great opportunities in the development of tourist traffic.

Malév enjoys an established position in Cluj-Napoca since as a result of the code-share agreement signed with Carpatair airlines in 2005, customers of the Hungarian carrier have long been able to fly to the Transylvanian town with a Malév air ticket, although until now only on services operated by the Romanian partner. Romania's accession to the European Union has allowed Malév to open its own services into the region. The national flag carrier operates its own Fokker-70 planes on the Budapest - Cluj-Napoca route during the day, while the night time connection is serviced by 50-seater Saab2000 turboprops leased from Carpatair.

Romania represents one of Malév's oldest and most important strategic markets. No better proof of this is available than the fact that at the moment the Hungarian airline flies to as many destinations in Romania as it does, for instance, to Germany. 

Besides Bucharest, a destination Malév aircraft have been flying to continuously since the early 1960s, the route network of Malév also encompasses a further three cities: Timisoara, Tirgu Mures and Cluj-Napoca. In total Malév operates 56 flights a week to these four destinations. In future the airline plans to further extend its coverage of the Romanian market, exploiting and at the same time reinforcing the considerable economic growth potential of the neighbouring country.

The Romania services of Malév consistently perform above average. The growth in passenger numbers reflects the region's dynamic economic development: last year there was growth of 11.5% on the Malév Bucharest route - which has the same passenger traffic as, for instance, Paris - while the rate of expansion on the Tirgu Mures line approached 90%. Based on the opportunities inherent in the region, the Hungarian national airline reckons on generating a similar dynamic increase in turnover on the Cluj-Napoca route. Last year more than 177,000 travellers took advantage of Malév flights to Romania, 12% more than the previous year, while gross ticket revenues in 2007 climbed 19%.

Cluj-Napoca and catchment area

2.472 million people live in Cluj-Napoca and its immediate vicinity. 10% of all Romanian companies set up by foreign investors operate from the region, and 6% of investment capital has flowed into the area. Hungary is the second largest investor in Cluj-Napoca and surroundings: the county of Cluj alone has 512 Hungarian companies with combined registered capital of approximately USD 117 million operating in a variety of sectors. Forecasts suggest that Hungarian and international expansion is set to continue in the years to come.

The locality's rich historical associations with several nationalities, castles, mansions and natural beauties are expected to represent continually strengthening attractions for tourists. Besides this, Cluj-Napoca is also the greatest cultural and educational hub for west Romania and ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania. About 100,000 students, many of them foreigners, study in the town, including at the internationally renowned Babes-Bolyai University.

Timetable

Cluj-Napoca summer schedule:

Budapest - Cluj-Napoca (daily)
MA 864 13:45 15:40 F70
MA 868 23:20 01:15+1 Saab2000

Cluj-Napoca - Budapest (daily)
MA 865 16:25 16:25 F70
MA 869 06:25 06:25 Saab2000"

Source: Malev